The Smoking Section (Masthead) Respect Our Fresh!

"That's Not All, MCs Have The Gall..."



"they pray and pray for my downfall...


we're still here and still going hard...


Update your bookmarks to www.smokingsection.net...It's coming.

"UH OH..."

"HEADS UP CAUSE WE DROPPIN SOME SHIT..."



Can You Smell What TSS Is Cookin?



Nah nah...let me stop. Let's keep it all the way hip-hop...




Some more of that old boom bap I actually forgot about until I heard Jazzy Jeff spinnin it last week @ The Block Party and nearly broke my neck snappin...

Til Death Do Us Part...


If all goes as planned, when you make your rounds tomorrow and check, things will prolly look slightly different around this piece.

But nothing's gonna change.

There will still be a Smoking Session up on Sunday, again, this week with DJ Drama of The Aphiliates ("Draa-mmmattiiccc!!!").

We'll still be hip-hop.


And I would craft a nice post today, but we're kinda busy and I'm still "injured" as Crazy likes to say.

Nonetheless, we figured we'd do one more nice chunky drop in honor of our time here @ Blogger.

Don't forget to update your bookmarks to www.smokingsection.net

And join the mailing list because we've just got a big box of goodies to pass out and share so expect a few giveaways next week, some open to all and others exclusively to the mailing list.

So donate a motherfuckin dollar so I don't have to come out of my own damn pocket to pay postage when mailing these shits. Stop being greedy © DMX.



Stray Shots

Bounty Killer - The Best Of Bounty Killer [Bonus Tracks]

The Game - Stop Snitching, Stop Lying

Canibus-2000 B.C.

Chaundon - Live From The 718

Greatest Hits of Red Hot Chili Peppers

Lil Wayne - The W Carter Collection Vol. 1

Lil Wayne - The W Carter Collection Vol. 2

Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana - Blow

Cortex - Troupeau Bleu

Visionaries- Galleries

MF Grimm - Mad Flows

Teena Marie - The Quiet Storm Collection

Pete Rock - Underground Classics

Jedi Mind Tricks - Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell

Talib Kweli & MosDef - Blackstar

Sly and the Family Stone: There's A Riot Going On

Peanut Butter Wolf - Chrome Mix

Terminator X and the Valley of the Jeep Beets

Da Beatminerz-Brace 4 Impak

DJ Magic Mike-This is How it Should Be Done

Domino - Domino

The Lox-Money, Power, and Respect

D-12 - D-12 World

Indo G-Angel Dust

DJ Scope - Enemies on Site

Apathy - It's The Bootleg Muthafuckas Vol.1

E-40-In a Major Way

Lady Of Rage - VA 2 L.A.

Souls of Mischief-Focus

Akon - Trouble

DJ Skee and The Game - Black Wall Street Journal Vol. 1

Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana - Blow


9.9 Stray Shots Downloadble Text File

9.9 Stray Shots Changelink Page



One Day Until The New...





Music. Man.


Gangsta Grillz x TSS Collabo coming Sunday...Get Aphiliated...New Layout...Donate in the Paypal bucket...Sing a song..."Dramaatiiiicccc"....It's going down.


Respect Our Motherfuckin Fresh.


Loosies

Jadakiss - Summer's Over

Daz feat. Jagged Edge - The One

Ludacris ft. Young Jeezy - Grew Up A Screw Up

Talib Kweli-Funny Money

Papoose-Prisoner of War

Busta Rhymes - In The Ghetto Rmx Feat. Rick James & Ludacris

Lil_Wayne,_Rick_Ross_and_Ransom_-_Clear_Da_Scene

Game - Hands Down

Chingy Feat. Three 6 Mafia - Club Getting Crowded


9.8 Loosies Download



Request


Nina Simone - Four Women: Nina Simone Philips Recordings [4 Disc Box Set]


2 Days Until The New...





Retro's Roundup

#2 DANITY KANE DANITY KANE 117,359 -50 234,341 351,981
#3 YOUNG DRO BEST THANG SMOKIN' 103,635 999 395 104,043
#4 AGUILERA*CHRISTINA BACK TO BASICS 100,740 -25 135,118 581,996
#7 OUTKAST IDLEWILD 78,074 -60 196,137 274,660
#8 METHOD MAN 4:21 THE DAY AFTER 62,070 999 205 62,282
#9 ROOTS GAME THEORY 61,097 999 117 61,221
#13 ROSS*RICK PORT OF MIAMI 42,314 -27 57,810 366,695
#14 TOO SHORT BLOW THE WHISTLE 39,901 999 148 40,051
#15 GNARLS BARKLEY ST. ELSEWHERE 39,111 -11 44,047 855,384
#16 PUSSYCAT DOLLS PCD 37,936 3 36,703 2,080,931
#20 JENNINGS*LYFE PHOENIX 33,463 -36 52,034 221,562
#26 CHERISH UNAPPRECIATED 30,681 -34 46,755 168,336
#29 YUNG JOC NEW JOC CITY 27,925 -7 29,973 663,772
#38 RIHANNA GIRL LIKE ME 22,589 -16 26,840 936,720
#39 VANDROSS*LUTHER ULTIMATE LUTHER VANDROSS 22,382 - 81,861
#43 CALDERON*TEGO UNDERDOG 21,208 999 331 21,549
#44 LETOYA LETOYA 20,927 -25 27,875 357,027
#49 FURTADO*NELLY LOOSE 20,362 -17 24,399 692,702
#51 NE-YO IN MY OWN WORDS 19,959 -17 23,939 1,264,267
#57 CASSIE CASSIE 17,736 -29 25,109 184,033
#58 KELIS KELIS WAS HERE 17,521 -70 57,917 75,611
#64 TRICE*OBIE SECOND ROUND'S ON ME 15,349 -45 27,733 117,232
#65 BEENIE MAN UNDISPUTED 14,954 999 58 15,012
#66 PHARRELL IN MY MIND 14,879 -22 19,182 281,560
#72 INDIA.ARIE TESTIMONY:VOL.1 14,094 -13 16,243 439,235
#76 BROWN*CHRIS CHRIS BROWN 13,203 1 13,024 1,533,121
#80 DMX YEAR OF THE DOG AGAIN 12,261 -31 17,708 231,818
#89 T.I. KING 11,366 11 10,233 1,464,339
#93 BUSTA RHYMES BIG BANG THE 10,461 -13 11,979 525,927
#100 CHAMILLIONAIRE SOUND OF REVENGE 9,582 0 9,590 1,167,172


























Young Dro
, as stated earlier, is nice with it. Yeah, the album cover might be a little "ignant" but the album is dope and Dro is holding it down with decent numbers. Gold here he comes!





























Jay, PLEASE stop jerkin one of the most talented artists on your label. Meth's album is ill beyond a doubt, and very well rounded. How this dropped under the radar is beyond me.

And what's good with dropping The Roots without any shine? C'mon duke. Them crackers at Jive may not be playing fair, but something fishy is up at Def Jam as well. President Carter spending too much time fuckin Rihanna I suppose.

When asked about how Jay-Z was handling things in the executive position, LL Cool J had these words: "Jay-z is great at promoting Jay-z." Take it how you want it, but I'd have to agree.

Too Short's album won't even be seeing copper anytime soon. Sorry Don Poppa. Oh how I long for the Cocktails days...

Good god, Beenie Man ain't selling shit, and I love me that dancehall (Dutty Wine, holla). Him not doing big teengs I say.


That's all for now, Retro signing off once again till next week.


Outty 5000



We need...


Two writers.

Primarily to help us with Smoking Sessions...which means, yes, you get to interview rappers and rhythm and blues artists.

Some journalstic experience preferred but not totally neccessary. You just have to be willing to go hard and have time available.

Is This You?

writers@smokingsection.net



Request


Nina Simone - Four Women: Nina Simone Philips Recordings [4 Disc Box Set]



Stray Shots

The Top 100 Greatest Rap Songs [4CD] [1995-2005]

Cutmaster C - You Got Punked! Volume 1

Big Mike - This Is Why I?m Hot Part 2

DJ Kay Slay Presents Vein - The Golden Child

The Game - The Documentary II (Feel My Pain)

T.I. - Im Serious

Talib Kweli - The beautiful struggle

Tego Calderon - The Underdog El Subestimado

Agallah The Don Bishop - You Already Know

Organized Konfusion-Stress: The Extinction Agenda

KMD-Black Bastards

Murs-Murs is My Best Friend

Andre Nickatina & Equipto-Horns and Halos

Yaggfu Front-Action Packed Adventure

9.7 Stray Shots Downloadable Text File

9.7 Stray Shots Changelink Page



3 Days Until The New...





Certified...


Time Is Money has a release date, 11.14.06. Let's hope we finally get the album because it's been highly anticipated...and we'll finally see for sure if Fif runs Interscope or not.


"Who Wanna Problem"





Ride with me shorty while i let this shoulder lean play
White people like me
I'm on MTV with Green Day
Green ice, green K
Packers like the Green Day
King aggin
Plan birthday on Martin Luther King Day
Yeah I got a Charger but i'm whippin out a Stingray
Just cause i overseas swimmin round a stingray
Rollin off a MLK
Might be lookin mean okay
I ain't really mad I'm just grindin on my teeth okay
Chevy paint tropical, ohweemaway ohweemaway..
...my connect so sweet
Jacob watch on eBay...

Young Dro - Gangsta Shit


T.I's been touting Dro as his retirement plan.

While I won't go that far, he's a far better bet than Bleek.

Day One is pretty smoking and full of tracks. Extra vivid wordplay and the joint is driven by hounding beats. He'll just need to expand his content in order to experience longevity.



Talib Kweli - Listen



We need...


Two writers.

Primarily to help us with Smoking Sessions...which means, yes, you get to interview rappers and rhythm and blues artists.

Some journalstic experience preferred but not totally neccessary. You just have to be willing to go hard and have time available.

Is This You?

writers@smokingsection.net



Request


Nina Simone - Four Women: Nina Simone Philips Recordings [4 Disc Box Set]


3 Days Until The New...





You've Come A Long Way Baby!




The saga continues but we're reaching a certain point in our journey

We started out the summer with a few "goals" that we wanted to accomplish.

1. Increase our daily visitor average - Check...From 4K to a little over 5K in less than 2 months.

2. Create a mailing list - Check...300+ members. Sign up. Goodies are there.

3. Do two months of consecutive Sundays of Smoking Sessions - Check...7 out of 8 down, with only Sunday to go.


And we've got TWO left to go...

4. Create a new layout and get on our own server




5. Get a Smoking Session with DJ Drama aka The Ipod King aka Mr. Thanksgiving



With P out globetrotting, Sunday might seem like a longshot given that it's Wednesday but we like going against the grain and aiming high. She's a perfectionist and a visionary so what started out as a month project has gone on for a good three months. Why? Because we're always picturing new shit that should be included and used.

Now when we started out the summer, we were peons. We still are. So at the time, I don't even know if anybody in The Crew thought we could get thirty seconds with Drama.

Well, stranger things have happened in this life. And, I don't think any of us have ever backed down challenges, online or off.

So on Tuesday, were lucky enough to get Drama to break bread with us for a few minutes so check for that on Sunday. (I owe you J***ise! The flowers are on the way as promised)






Contrary to popular belief...


1. I do not do this alone.

2. None of us get paid. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.


So I wanted to give respect and credit to the cats who put up with my barking and ranting. They've weathered the storms and chased the rainbow with us without fail.

Crazy Baby - You'll never see her but she keeps it poppin and us movin forward...

P aka Pauwee aka Paulie Fingers aka Ms. Harris aka "my love" - Nuff said...

Nquestii aka Lil Marc - son got the binary code in his fingertips...

Retro aka Yong Jeezy - Silent but deadly. Dude is seriously my ace in this shit...

Cameloti Bulgari aka Russian Mafioso aka CS.SA - Pen game on vicious...

Drew Ricketts - The abstract poetic...

Holla @ Mitch aka Mitchell K - Another cat you'll never see but he's choppin up game with me daily...

Yikes! aka AWalsh - Rookie of the year potential...

K aka The sexy chick you see posin for alot of pics - "Wait til you see my..."

CIPH4 aka Ciph aka The Smart Guy aka Ashy Knucks - Son been down for years handling all the PS and html shit I can't handle...

Mohannesburg aka Moe Dog - The music you get? Thank him for the links...

DENEIRE aka It's Dre Day
- Dre brings it day in and day out with the links...without fuckin fail.

K1NG aka Lil Cam - "The Young Gunna"...

Stereotee aka MyTSharp - Part of the braintrust...

Neil Diamonds aka The 206King - Unsung member who's always passin underground music, mixtapes, old school, culutural info, fashion shit...you name it, he's got a hand in it...

BFO aka Big Fame One - The other member of the 206 Collective who's been down cowboyin shit w/me for years...

Dally aka Dally's A Beast - You just don't really know about this dude lol...

You - What you thought we were doing this shit for ourselves lol? Nah, we like bringin it daily and you provide the audience and keep spreading the word.


If I forgot your name, charge it to my head and not my heart...


Don't worry, we're already settin new goals for the fall/winter...respect our motherfuckin fresh


New Layout Coming(crosses fingers)

DJ Drama on Sunday GANGTA GRIZZILLIZZZZZZZ!!!


Salute!

Gotty™




More Stray Shots

M.O.P.-First Family 4 Life

Murs & Slug - Felt...A Tribute to Christina Ricci

Canibus-Rip the Jacker

Canibus-MiClub: The Curriculum

Radiohead - Unplugged: The Complete Sessions

Atmosphere - Best of Headshots 1 - 6

Lil Wayne - The Carter 2.5

Lil Wayne - The Carter II

Lil Wayne - The Suffix

A_Hippity_Hop_Experience_Love_Songs_Part _1

Missy Elliott - Respect M.E (Best Of)

M.O.P - Ghetto Warfare

VA-Big_Mike-This_Is_Why_Im_Hot_Part_2

Young Buck, DJ Spin, DJ Whoo Kid - Best of G-Unit Radio Young Buck Edition

VA-Kochece-From_911-Katrina_(Juelz_Santana_And_Lil_Wayne)-Bootleg

Young_Jeezy-Kochece_Presents_Welcome_To_The_Tundra-(Bootleg)

9.6 More Stray Shots Downloadable Text File

9.6 More Stray Shots Changelink Page



4 Days Until The New...





Much Ado...

I'm stuck @ the house today because of an eye infection...so I don't have a lot of words. But we do have video to share :)



Video Footage of 10th Anniversary Of Jay's Reasonable Doubt




Click to download



"Yea that tuxedo might have been a little Guido, but with my ego I can stand there in a speedo, and be looked at like a fuckin hero..."

True.



Video footage of Kanye in Seattle on Sunday



stray shots

Pete Rock - Soul Survivor 2

Digable Planets - Reachin': A New Refutation Of Time And Space

Atmosphere - Headshots Se7en

O.C - Jewelz

VA - Pure Acoustic (2006)

Madlib - Movie Scenes

Madlib - Shades Of Blue

Evanesence - The Open Door

Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy - Best of The Blocks

Lil Wayne - The Carter

9.6 Stray Shots Downloadable Text File

9.6 Stray Shots Changelink Page



4 Days Until The New...





TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With The Strange Fruit Project

There's power in words and even more power in the names that we take on. Taking on the name of the 1939 song performed by Billie Holiday, which focused on black men being lynched throughout the south at a time when people of color had not rights in the United States, is a weighty task unto itself. More black men were lynched in Waco in the early 1900’s than anywhere in the U.S. So it's only right that this triumvarate of MC's with unique abilities and common perspective adapt the moniker The Strange Fruit Project and represent their brand of hip-hop and their region.

And they've lived up to it, recieving critical acclaim and climbing the ranks, raising from The Source's Unsigned Hype, then as Symbolyc Elementz, to their current album The Healing featuring fellow Texan Erykah Badu, producers 9th Wonder and Illmind.

We, specifically Cam, said amongst ourselves that we wanted to get @ these dudes a few months ago. And through the course of events, they seemingly fell into our hands. Lucky enough to get a few minutes with them for a phone convo, The Strange Fruit Project breaks down their place in the current hip-hop landscape, how they got here and where they plan to go.



TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With The Strange Fruit Project


Words By Cameloti Bulgari



TSS: Who do we have right now?

S1: You got S1 [Symbolic One] and Myth.

TSS: Who are we missing?

S1: Myone (pronounced my-own)

TSS: Ya'll in Arizona right now?

S1: Naw, we in Texas

TSS: You finished the West Coast leg of a tour, right?

S1: Correct. Arizona [was] the first leg of the tour out there.

TSS: How was the reception in L.A.?

S1: It was mind-blowing. It was a great experience man--while we're on the road in the middle of our tours--the album released, and the feedback's been amazing. Big up to the people supporting the product.

TSS: You hit up the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival earlier this summer? That was
your first time performing in NY? What was it like rockin a NY audience?

Myth: That experiece was phenomenal. Man. I mean, first of all we were around a bunch of legends. From Big Daddy Kane to Buckshot Shorty. To rock in front of a NY crowd was just crazy. That's the birthplace of hip-hop.

TSS: Musically, what's your inspiration coming into the rap game?

S1: We're all pretty low-key humble guys, we have families and stuff. Me, personally, I would have to say my family in general; and just to be able to inspire and motivate people through our music, that's the diamond. I vibe off to a lot of old 70's and 60's music, some old jazz. Even like some new school stuff. Different genres. I'm kind of
all over the place.

Myth: Pretty much everything, except for country, dude. Specifically, Outkast--definitely an influence on me...Redman. There's so many artists that I listen to from the East Coast, West Coast, South. They all influenced me.




Listen To "Get Live" Featuring Erykah Badu


TSS: What trips me out is that ya'll from Waco. And coming from the East Coast, when I think of Waco, I just think of white people burning.

S1: [Laughs]

TSS: How did ya'll go from Waco, TX to here and now? Is there some kind of rap scene there?

S1: To be honest with you man, we had a dream and an idea, and we pretty much just acted on it. There's really no type of hip-hop scene in Waco, TX. We had a whole crew down there of like 8 to 9 members and within our crew we would just feed off each other. I guess living in Waco, it kinda gave us a good work ethic because we had to overcome a lot of stereotypes. People tend to look at you kind of strange and funny, so all we had was each other to create and build and get to where we are now.

Myth: The thing about Waco is it's a small city. As far as hip-hop, I watched a lot of videos. We had "Rap City", "Yo! MTV Raps" stuff like that, and then the radio. That's where I got most of my hip-hop from. Then we had Geto Boys and UGK, so that's how it all started here; and then we just kind of grew it to our own. The majority of the people here, they listen to what you normally hear in Southern rap, you know, the typical stuff. Then what we do is kind of a little bit like Outkast.

TSS: That's a good comparison. The Healing is your 3rd full-lenght LP. The word "classic" is being attached to this. Any pressure?

S1: Really don't feel any pressure. We just steady workin to try to either boost ourselves or build more of a fanbase or spread the material more to the masses. But really, as far as pressure, man, we just doing us. The only pressure would come from how the people are receiving the product that we're putting out, but so far the feedback's been great. I have to say there's really no pressure.

Myth: Musically, there's no pressure. It's just getting out! Being heard.

TSS: How long did ya'll have to do this before you could eat off of it?

S1: Man. Dude.

Myth: 20 years. Nah. [Laughs]

S1: We been doin this for a while. As far as music, we been doin it for a long time.

Myth: 10-plus years.

S1: We started the Strange Fruit Project back in like 2001.

TSS: How old are ya'll?

S1: 30

Myth: 30

S1: Myone is 25, and Myth and I just turned 30 a couple of weeks ago.

TSS: Word, me too. It's good to see people doing they thang at that age. I notice MTV purchased some of your tracks for shows like "Run's House" and "Yo Momma".

S1: They actually licensed some of our music and also some of my tracks to be played within the broadcast.

TSS: Have you seen it? Or are they holding onto your stuff?

S1: I haven't even been keeping up with it, dude. I mean, I haven't even looked at the show, so I'm not even sure.

TSS: You grindin, doing your thing, it must be hard.

S1: Exactly.





Click The Photo To See Video Footage Of A Performance and Interview


TSS: So everyone's in a good place right now. The money's coming in? No pressure to get paid for your efforts?

S1: Aww man, there's always pressure...[Laughs]

Myth: Yeah. One thing you gotta realize, me and S1 both got families. So, it's a little different for us. We gotta make sure we financially recoupin something...getting something back.

S1: Exactly. I guess as far as that , our main thing right now is to stay busy. You got tours, you can make money off shows, you can make money off, of course, your publishing and everything. But you gotta just try to keep building so when that run out or when you get that, you can have some other stuff you ain't got paid for. I gotta stay ahead.

Myth: We ain't on Puffy level.

S1: Nah, we tryin to get there though.

TSS: Your work is along the lines of Little Brother?

S1: We get that alot. People want to put us into whatever category or compare us to the closest thing. That's a good thing. Little Brother is doing they thang. We're pretty much into the same boat. We all up-and-coming groups trying to make our stamp on this hip-hop movement.

TSS: How did ya'll hook up with 9th Wonder, Illmind and that whole camp?

S1: Basically, I hooked up with Illmind online. He hit us up one day. It was actually before Myspace. He hit me on the email through our website. And he was telling us he loved our material. We built a relationship from that. As far as 9th...Illmind and I had did a project; and Little Brother actually contributed to that project. I built a relationship with them and then got in contact with 9th and it evolved into collaborating also.

TSS: What's it feel like having someone like ?uestlove sign off on ya'll?

Myth: On that. That's beautiful, man. We grew up idolizing cats like The Roots when they was coming out. And for them to give us the stamp of approval, that's cool man, especially coming from where we come from, Waco. That's like real big.

TSS: There's a spiritual element to your music that ya'll intentionally try to infuse with your music?

S1: There's definitely a spiritual element in there. Personally, I'm a Christian so that's gonna reflect within my music. However the listener thinks [about] that, or perceives that, they can take it however they like. Our famlies raised us right and that just shows in the music.

TSS: Alright. How can people get a closer look at ya'll?

S1: Strangefruitproject.com, you can also check us out on myspace.com/strangefruitproject. Ya'll can get on there and hit us up. Send us a comment or an email and we'll try to get back to ya'll.

TSS: Alright be easy.



Listen....

TSFP Podcast mp3
Special feat. Thesis mp3 (Produced by 9th Wonder)


Download Here



  • Sign up for the mailing list. With upcoming contests, exclusive audio and announcements regarding future Sessions, it's the internet V.I.P. section.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYWRITTEN BY THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.



7 Days Until The New...





Had To Get Low...



Some days, you have to wonder how ill The Firm would've been if Mega Montana had stayed in the crew. I remember when this joint came as a b-side single for one of Foxy's cuts and it was a precursor of great things to come...or that should've taken place.

The Original Firm (AZ, Cormega, Foxy Brown and Nas) - La Familia (Unreleased)


It's Saturday.

That means we're working and playing at the same time.

Word to the wise, sign up for the mailing list. We're going to start sending out more exclusive downloads and giveaways thru there.

If you're looking for Gotty™, you can find me @...


2006-9-2 19:00:00 GMT+00:00 Until


Join Lovenoise and TSSCrew at the block party




stray shots

The Infamous Bobb Deep- Mobb Deep vs. Bob Marley

Celly_Cel_Presents_Hillside_Stranglaz-Bad_Influence

Turk-Convicted_Felons

Kindred The Family Soul: In This Life Together

Jessica_Simpson-A_Public_Affair

Big_Noyd-The_Stick_Up_Kid-2006

Audioslave-Live-(EP)-2006

Audioslave-Revelations

Dr. Dre - 1st Round Knockout

Professor Griff - Pawns In The Game

Jeru The Damaja - Wrath of the Match

J Rawls Presents The Liquid Crystal Project

Dolemite - Dolemite For President

Fabolous - Street Dreams

R. Kelly - R.

Immortal Technique - The Final Passage - THE ULTIMATE COUNTDOWN (2006)

Sia (From Zero 7) - Healing Is Difficult

No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

Amos Lee - Amos Lee

JT - FutureSex/LoveSounds

Erykah Badu - Worldwide Underground

Lil Wayne - Please Say The Baby

Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy - Leaders Of The Hood

Motion Man - Pablito's Way (PROMO)

Earth, Wind & Fire: The Eternal Dance (Three Discs)

Mr. Shadow - Thug Connection

Lord Finesse - From The Crates...


9.2 Stray Shots Downloadable Text File

9.2 Stray Shots Changelink Page




Chicken & Waffles...


Royce bodied the "We Gone Make It" beat with "WhoWantIt"...


Movin across the map to the Chi, my man Runny Ray been BPS'n ever since I've known him. We been in and out of touch for a minute but when I saw DJ RPM mention a new song from an artist named Ray Swoope titled On Stone, I knew who it was off top.

It's good to reconnect. Whatup Mo? My man been on his C.R.E.A.M. thing since day one and has made his way up the ranks in this music thing so show him some love.




"Girl whatchu mean you don't recognize me? I'm only the biggest rap star in your apartment complex."


Somebody let Percy Miracles loose to create the promo for Hall Of Justus' new album, Soldier's Of Fortune.

Percy Miralces - HOJ Myspace Anthem (De Hall of Justus Promo Banger)

...it felt like I was shotgun with Marty McFly, gettin' warped back into 80's LOL.



"We can't afford Cris/Frontin like we boycott/We on the same page, we all on one accord/Little do they know that we all came in one Accord..."


On the reals, listen to "Life Of The Party" and D-Brock's "think it over" (more on him coming soon) and feel inspired to pick up the actual album on 10.3.06. There's a contest with free goodies as well so check for it.


EDIT...ADDED.



T.I. and Jamie Foxx - Live In The Sky




Consider it all co-signed.





AYE!


First five people to name Twista's first certified platinum album get a copy of DJ Benzi's Blackout mixtape hosted by Twista.



Send your answers to blackinoutwithbenzi@smokingsection.net


Chock full of heat and free, it's an opportunity to score some new sounds for the whip at the low low price of nothing.

If you don't win though, go cop the disc from djbenzi.com


Respect Our Fresh!




stray shots

The Roots - Present [Live]

Method Man - 4:21... The Day After

Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor

The Jackson 5 - Pre History-The Lost Steeltown Recordings

Bobby Brown - The Definitive Collection

Sleepy Brown - Sleepys Theme - The Vinyl Room

Gang Starr-The Moment of Truth

Joy Denalane Born and Raised

Georgia Anne Muldrow - Olesi: Fragments Of An Earth

Jamie Foxx - Peep This (1994)

Buckshot & 9th Wonder - Chemistry

City of God OST

9.1 Stray Shots Downloadable Text File

9.1 Stray Shots Changelink Page




Trapped In The Closet...




What are we gonna do when the gay rapper pulls a Lance Bass on us?

Earlier this week, they tried to lay the title on Ne-Yo and alot of people were "So Sick"...sorry, I had to LOL.


In truth, with the way homosexuality is not tolerated in the Black community or the hip-hop community, who'll be the one individual to say the words "I'm Gay", either while in the spotlight or after their 15 minutes is over?

There's something going on © The Roots

While personally detesting the labels applied to brothers, time is starting to make me understand that this whole "down low brother" theory is not some conspiracy theory or phenomenon. When AIDS first came on the scene, its increasing infliction was attributed to drug users. Now, it's said to spread more because of homosexuality and unprotected heterosexual intercourse. And in the Black community, it's hittin harder than an 808.

So if my favorite rapper is playing both sides of the fence and fuckin a different broad in every city...and then I happen to run across the smut...yeah.

So will hip-hop accept the idea of a rappin Karamo? A media personality? Someone who's cds I bought? Who's video I saw and maybe picked up style cue? Who's lyrics I rapped during the course of my day? Who's show I bought a ticket for?

Will I buy their discs anymore?

I doubt it.

On a surface level, doing so leaves you open to alot of comments that you're condoning or glorifying the gay artist. "Yo...you got that aggin _______ disc? Aww man!" You don't want to be that dude in the lockeroom trying to convince your boys that MC DigDug is the best when he was just on the cover of a mag tongue-kissin his lover.

Aww them aggins kissin © Riley


On a deeper level, for some reason, I truly don't think so because homosexuality is still a seedy issue for all of America. Yes, the media is trying to portray it as a lifestyle that's more prominent than middle America is willing to admit. Still, personally, I don't find too much fascination in watching the various portrayals like Will & Grace or Queer Eye episodes.

So while American culture may be open to accepting homosexuality, its subcultures aren't.

Rock-n-roll is American as you can get & they have Elton John. That's mainstream culture.

Subcultures, such as rap and country, will most likely never have those types of artists. Like country, hip-hop forms alot of it's base around the male bravado, "manliness."

Gay does not equate manliness.




No answers.

Just ideas and questions.



In the end, perhaps we need to focus on how we treat each other as people.

What another man does on his private time really ain't my issue anyways honestly.



Will hip-hop accept an openly gay rapper?
Free polls from Pollhost.com




Stray Shots

Straws - The Punchline King

DJ_Smallz-Bohagon-Who_Am_I? I'm_Bohagon

Cormega-Freestyle_Flava_Vol._I-2002-

Creed Taylor Inc. - The Best Of CTI Records

Nature - For All Seasons

Keak Da Sneak - Copium

The Brand New Heavies - Trunk Funk Classics 1991-2000

Too Short - Blow The Whistle (2006)

Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds [BONUS DISC]

The Roots - The Legendary [EP]

8.31 Stray Shots Downloadable Text File

8.31 Stray Shots Changelink Page




Push Up Ya Lighters...

R.I.P. Stringer Bell


Spoken word is that distant cousin to hip-hop.

The one who doesn't talk much when everybody's around but really starts saying something when you're one on one with him.

I've been slowly accepting the art of spoken word more as my man Aubrey has been asking me to come out and support him.

In turn, I've noticed, and I'm generalizing here, spoken word artists come in a few forms...

  • Those fast-talking cats so closely akin to pimps, talkin fast but not saying much...
  • Psuedo Love Jones dudes trying to get @ females via the mic hehe...
  • Bemusingly angry chicks...
  • And then those individuals who have the true talent and presence with their words to captivate and motivate. This last group is the one I admire most and find myself pushin up my lighter for when we're @ the events. Admirable for their ability to impart wisdom and intellect, a concise worldview and mesh it all into a blend of words and voice that is plainspeak...

So when this showed up @ my e-doorstep, I figured it'd be worth sharing.



The Wire is that show for being cutting edge and hauntingly realistic. Every season thus far has been top notch and shined light on a variety of issues effecting many downtrodden communities, giving a dramatic portrayal to the "we sell the dope but we don't own no planes to bring it here" theory. Politricks and dirty business. This season should be no different as it will focus on the Baltimore public education system, or the lack of education perhaps.

And since that last group of spoken word artists usually have something to say when they speak, it looks like a nice alternative twist that should fit like a glove with the premise of the show. A nice platform to share your thoughts one might say.

While some my deem it a form of explotation, but I always think it's good when the powers that be embrace both the internet and hip-hop. At a certain point, we have to realize the power our culture holds with music as the medium. As well, we have to branch out and let the world officially know that we're not just on the corner rappin anymore. So when given a stage, we should seek to seize the moment for our benefit. It's quid pro quo - "you scratch my back; I scratch yours." Somewhere, some lucky cat is gonna benefit from the exposure and that's always a blessing.

Visit The Wire Spoken Word Challenge for more info on the contest.


In other media matters...

Scarface is a hip-hop and hood staple, as proven by the countless times seen on MTV Cribs.

Everybody "admires" the idea of being the ballsy toughguy who goes after it all.

But not everybody wants to take the pen chances or go out in a blaze of bullets.

Fear no more. You too can still be Tony Montana courtesy of Scarface: The World Is Yours brought to you by Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, available on XBox and PS2 on Oct. 8.


Peep the trailer for the game by clickin the pic below...






Last but not least...





Join Lovenoise and TSSCrew at the block party



It's going down © Young Joc

Click for more info...



loosies

Ray Swoope - On Stone

Memphis Bleek Featuring Tru-Life - U Already Know

Chamillionaire - I'm Back

Fat Joe Feat. Lil Wayne - Make It Rain

Trick Daddy - Bet That (Feat. Chamillionaire)

Bilal - Something To Hold On To

Red Cafe - Diddy Bop

Guilty Simpson - Clap Your Hands

Beyoncé - Creole

Jagged Edge - You Hurt Me

T.I. Feat. Stat Quo_-_Top Back A Lil’ Bit More

Blood Raw Feat. Slick Pulla- Ride Tonight

Mase Feat. RL - Let's Go

Guerilla_Black - 400 Shotz

Lupe Fiasco Feat. Sway - We Love You

Mobb Deep ft Tony Yayo - Gangsta

8.30 Loosies Download





Pimps, Playas & Hustlas...

Unless you've been under some sort of rock, we've all heard various takes on what the hell happened to Dave Chappelle and his critically acclaimed show. In recent months, Dave has slowly but surely been making his way back into the public eye and doing standup.

What you'll read below is a friend's recant of what Dave said @ a recent standup he performed @ Warner Theater in D.C. this past Saturday, as a small part of his comedic routine. It was too engaging not to pass along and there was no need to try to restate it because it was said good enough in it's original form.

Respect to MJPapa for allowing us to share it with you.




First off, Happy Birthday to Dave. He turned 33 last night and performed at the Warner Theater in DC. His wife and two sons came up on stage and the Howard University Marching Band surprised him at the end of the show.

His comedy was on point and he related his $50M contact to the life of Iceburg Slim, a Chicago pimp, who wrote a book about his life called, aptly, "Pimp".

In short, he told the story about a prosititue who was good for 2,500 tricks. She was called the "bottom ho". After about 2000 "miles", she wanted to quit--said she was all used up. Slim had to make a decision whether to cut her loose or ride her out for all she was worth and he called to meet her in a coffee shop.

Slim told her that he couldn't work with her anymore and that they needed to part ways. He asked that she turn one final trick for him tonight and she agreed. His instructions were clear--go to the motel across the street and knock on the door to a room where a man will be waiting. Slip a bit of this powder into his drink before doing the business and wait for him to pass out. When he does, take the briefcase on the table and come back to the restaurant.

The bottom ho does exactly as Slim tells her and heads off to the motel. Minutes later, she returns to the diner in a panic and tells Slim that something went wrong--she gave the man all of the powder and he was unconscious. Slim tells her he never meant for the business man to take the whole dose and they proceed back to the hotel where Slim checks his pulse. He then dials a phone number and soon later, a doctor shows up. After a few moments, the doctor pronounces the man dead. The bottom ho starts getting really scared and says, "We killed him!!"

Slim corrects her and says, "No. You killed him. And I'm here to help get us out of this." He tells the doctor and the prostitute to wait inside the room and he goes out into the night. An hour, or more, goes by and both the ho and doctor are terrified that Slim may never come back. Just then, Slim returns--now with two more men and a carpet. It's then that Slim opens the briefcase, which is filled with money. He pulls out two large wads and hand one each to the men. They take one look inside the room and know what to do, rolling the business man off the bed and up into the carpet, haul the body down a flight of stairs into the trunk of a waiting car and drive off.

Slim the pulls out another stack of bills and hands it to the doctor who thanks him and leaves. Slim then tells the bottom ho to grab her things and they exit through the bathroom window so as not to be seen by anyone. On the way out, the hooker is still stunned and what just transpired. Slim leans in real close and says, "That just there was a secret that you can never tell to anyone. Ever. We now have a bond that is unbreakable."

The hooker understands this and Slim allows her to keep working for him. She works for another year and ends up giving him 3,500 tricks - a thousand more than she was worth.

In the end, the whole scene was made up. The doctor was a friend of Slim's who happened to have a lab coat. The two cleaners were taxi drivers he met on the street. The money and briefcase belonged to Slim and the dead man was very much alive--Slim staged the whole thing. He closed his show with this story and said, "This is THE GAME. And when you can figure out what happened, you'll understand why I went to Africa".


STray Shots

Dj Smallz and Rick Ro$$-Southern Smoke 28 (Miami Heat)

Tego Calderon - The Underdog

Jadakiss-Kiss Tha Game Goodbye

Project Pat-Mista Don't Play

Lord_Finesse_And_DJ_Mike_Smooth-Funky_Technician_(Remastered)

Young Jeezy Presents Live At The Seawall

Young Droop-1990 Hate

Radiohead - Live @ Bonnaroo 2006

PA (Parental Advisory) - Straight, No Chaser

Ray Lamontagne - Trouble

Jaylib - Champion Sound

Atlantic Starr-Brilliance (1982)

Atlantic Starr-Radiant(1980)

Atlantic Starr-Atlantic Starr(1978)

8.29 Stray Shots Text File Download

8.29 Stray Shots Changelink Page




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